The tea party may have won Republicans the House of Representatives in 2010, but in 2012 it’s looking like it could help Democrats retain the White House.

Now nearly three years old, the tea party has fallen out of favor with Americans, and Democrats are prepared to use it against Republicans in this year’s elections.

A recent Fox News poll showed just 30 percent of Americans had a favorable view of the tea party, compared with 51 percent who viewed it unfavorably.

A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll may be more illustrative though. It showed Americans were more evenly split on the tea party, with 44 percent supporting it and 43 percent opposing it.

But just 15 percent of Americans supported the tea party “strongly,” while 26 percent were “strongly” opposed to it.

That suggests that opposition to the tea party is more strident than the tea party itself, which means the movement may be doing the GOP more harm than good.

The numbers are similar to the ones that were seen during the health-care debate, when both sides had about the same number of supporters, but the opponents were much more motivated.

In addition, the fervor and enthusiasm spurred by the tea party in 2010 appears to have dissipated, with no major tea party rallies taking place this year and fewer Republican candidates latching on to the label. On the presidential campaign trail, the tea party is rarely mentioned.

In contrast, Democrats are starting to wield the tea party label as a tool in their campaigns.

“I’m Bill Pascrell, and this is why I’m running: To stop the tea party,” the Democratic congressman from New Jersey said in a new ad.

The tea party also is being used against Reps. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.), two stalwart tea partiers in tough districts for the GOP, and was used in ads run by special-election-winning Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) this year.

Democrats say the issue works for them as they continue to define a Republican Party whose brand is already struggling.

“It’s no longer viewed as a populist, grass-roots organization, but a dangerous group with extremist views that don’t reflect the mainstream values of America’s middle class,” Democratic media strategist John Lapp said.

The tea party was mostly a blessing for Republicans in 2010.

Some less-electable tea party candidates beat Republican establishment candidates in primaries and went on to defeat in the general election, but on the whole the tea party spurred enthusiasm against President Barack Obama and helped Republicans overcome an emerging problem with their own brand, a problem that persists today.

The Washington Post/ABC poll showed just 40 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the GOP, a new low.

Link Corporate Tax Rates: Fortune 500 Companies That Make Money From Taxes.Instead of giving money to the government, it turns out more than a few U.S. companies are actually making money off their income taxes.

In a recent report by the Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 26 of 30 Fortune 500 companies examined had negative income tax rates on profits made in the U.S. between 2008 and 2011 (h/t Think Progress).

The findings may seem contradictory with recent news that the U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate among developed nations at 39.2 percent. But due to loopholes in the tax code and federal tax subsidies, very few companies actually end up paying the full "statutory" rate.

As it stands now, the actual tax rate corporations pay, called the "effective" tax rate, is at 12.1 percent of profits, the lowest level it's been since 1972, Think Progress reports. Likewise, tax revenue as a percentage of gross domestic product is at lows not seen since the 1940s, according to CTJ.

Due to these tax breaks, companies such as General Electric, Boeing and Verizon made more money after taxes from 2008 to 2011 than they did before filing them, according to the report. The 30 companies in the report made almost $6.5 billion on their taxes over the same time period. Conversely, if they had paid a tax rate of just 35 percent during that time, they would have provided the federal government with $78.3 billion in corporate tax revenue.

I must agree with you, however I think Obama will win. At this point with only Republican candidates doing the talking, Romney should be ahead of Obama in the polls. If memory serves me correct during Bush's second term at this time he was down by abou 10 points and managed to win a second term. There's two dynamics that I feel will make this election close. First as you say is the economy. It's not where actually our economy is per se, but what the perception is. I state that as if you look around the world, our recovery is better than most, however there are still many American's feeling the pinch and as such will grasp at any message that might make them feel safer. Second is Obama's popularity polls. Historically, no President with an approval rating has lost nor has any President with a rate under 40 percent won a second term. Obama will be the first President running for a second term between those two stats. That alone will make it interesting.

Despite the Wash. Post/ABC poll showing only 40% of Americans having a favorable view of the Republican Party, I think the Presidential election will be very close--alot will be on how the people feel the Economy is progressing during the next few months.